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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rash — a series
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. tear — from crying
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. toast — bread
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lean — thin
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. roll — a list
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bark — to shout
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com